Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Zizek’s Cultural Capitalism, Trungpa’s Concept of Idiot Compassion and Lifestyle Activists Massaging Conscience

Cool post from the Smiling Buddha Cabaret . . . great mix of European philosophy and Buddhism.

Zizek’s Cultural Capitalism, Trungpa’s Concept of Idiot Compassion and Lifestyle Activists Massaging Conscience

2010/08/02
by NellaLou

image The concept of Cultural Capitalism, which Slavoj Zizek discusses in another of RSA’s brilliant animations, very interestingly corresponds to Trungpa’s concept of idiot compassion as well as the problems created, rather than solved by lifestyle activism.

I’ve done a couple of posts that elaborate those concepts in Buddhist, psychological and sociological ways. Nice to see the philosophers taking this on too.

Manifestations of Idiot Compassion-a feel good way to pretend to solve the worlds problems. A self-indulgent viewpoint.

Right Lifestyle-a feel good way to pretend to solve the worlds problems. A socially privileged viewpoint.

From individual psychology to the philosophies that govern culture, politics, economics and social relations, all of this is a conscience massage for the variously affluent rather than an effective approach.

We are encouraged to believe that tokens of charity benefit those who suffer. Rather than look at the cause of problems, an overbearing system, deluded social psychology, personal abdication of responsibility and faulty philosophical worldview all of which try to alleviate problems of it’s own making using the same methodology that creates and sustains these problems, we simply work the dysfunctional system harder and faster. It’s Ouroboros on every level. The circle gets smaller and smaller as the beast feeds on itself. As social, material, psychological and spiritual resources are consumed fear and panic rise which compels further rigidity and clinging to this outmoded and damaged methodology.


1 comment:

NellaLou said...

Thanks for the mention William.